Evolution in a Time of Desperation

A review of Usagi Yojimbo #152


by shaxper
The Classic Comics Forum



A shovel digs at the water-bloated soil as a fatigued peasant fills his bucket and ambles up to the top of the levee being constructed amidst an unrelenting downpour. The first eight panels of Usagi Yojimbo #152 establish all that we need to know -- amidst the torrential rain and the swelling mud, the situation is hopeless, even if we do not yet understand what the situation is.

Contrasted against this is the ninth and final panel of the page: Miyomoto Usagi, the rabbit samurai, barking orders to the peasants with harsh determination on his face. Usagi hasn't given in to the fatigue and has not lost hope that they can prevail, but will his determination be enough to energize the tired peasants that he directs?

Over the course of 218 issues (152 for Dark Horse), Stan Sakai has gradually evolved his rabbit ronin from a harsh and historically accurate practitioner of bushido (the Samurai code) to someone more aligned with the superheroes of today; a hopeless do-gooder desperate to right all wrongs in the world to which he bears witness. It's therefore no surprise to see him aiding peasant villagers struggling to save their homes from flooding, even at the potential cost of his own life.

This sort of scene is not entirely new to long time readers of Usagi. We've grown used to these minor acts of heroism, where Usagi is just as willing to lay down his life for a town of peasants as the nation of Japan, but the execution is new this time. As the plot grows further complicated by the theft of the village's food stores by roving brigands, leaving the village with a two-prong struggle for its survival, Usagi's solution must lie neither in battling villains to the death nor in exhibiting perfect Samurai honor. Instead, he must inspire hope and mutual cooperation among a band of down-on-their-luck peasants ("We peasants always suffer the most!" one comments aloud in response to a series of circumstances they have already endured prior to this moment). Oh, the expected fight scene is still there (and, with Sakai, it's always a good one), but there's a larger message at play in this tale and, subsequently, a powerful theme that resonates by the close: enduring hope and the need to work together amidst a torrent of despair.

This story was originally slated for publication in 2012 but was placed on the back burner when Sakai took a break from Usagi to work with Mike Richardson on 47 Ronin, and it's therefore strange to see it first rearing its head now, so long after Usagi's triumphant return to local comic shops nationwide. The easy explanation is that, while this story resolves by the close, it does leave a cliffhanger of sorts for Usagi that would not have fit previous continuity. But, if I may be permitted to infer a little wildly here, I think it's worth noting that this story was last slated for publication in 2012 and is now seeing print in 2016. Both were election years. Usagi has never been a political work, but whereas it once focused on stories explicitly about a culture other than our own (many early stories went out of their way to remind us through harsh lessons that Usagi's world followed a very different moral code than our own), Usagi's slow and believable evolution into a hero with more modern sensibilities has compelled Sakai to tell more stories concerning modern morality. Perhaps, in a present society in which wealth for the average citizen has declined sharply, stirring a great rift in political ideologies that has grown surprisingly savage with time, a story about people needing to hold onto hope and look past differences to work together while their town is literally almost underwater might hold particular relevance to the political landscape of today.

Regardless of whether this is intended or a wild interpretation by an over-exuberant reviewer, "The River Rising" is a potent, powerful story with a critical message that serves as testament to the slow but sharply-honed evolution of this character and franchise over the past thirty one years. Whether you're a long time fan of the series or this is your very first issue, it's bound to connect and stir something within you by the close.

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5

I'm still waiting to see if Stan has something big planned for Koroshi, the League of Assassins. Their vendetta against Usagi has been popping up a lot over the past few years.

A wild theory goes out the window




I adored the atmosphere created by the rain in this issue. I imagine it poses a challenge to consistently portray the rain backdrop without allowing the tone to become monotonous. I look forward to seeing the various emotional contexts you'll pull from that environmental backdrop, Sensei!

Incidentally, I wonder if Usagi is now thinking that he banged that taiko drum just a little too hard...

The twist ending was rather fun but for me the highlight here was really Stan's art. I loved his use of black here, the contrast between the inky blacks of the night and the whites of the characters really drew you into their facial expressions which really sold this story and the scratchy shadows with in the shadows was beautiful.

I tried looking for a thread from when it came out but must have missed it. I love Stan's reasoning for the delay too, I can totally undestand the trepidation about constantly portraying rain, but it looked amazing.